Book 3

Book #3: "Departures" by Lorna J. Cook. The main characters in "Departures" are two teens, brother and sister, and the narrative shifts back and forth between their perspectives. Suzan VanderZee is seventeen; her story is a fairly typical coming-of-age tale: she feels misunderstood, is impatient and critical of the rest of her family, at odds with her mother. She lives in her head, and her head is full of the Brontes, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Secret Garden. She dreams of fleeing the confines, the constraints, of home. And she has a secret.
Brother Evan is fifteen, and is struggling with typical 15-year-old boy issues: girls. One girl in particular. He, too, dreams of escape from family, from small town life. But all families have secrets and complexities and tensions and vulnerabilities, and the VanderZees are no exception. How their lives play out over the course of this telling, a space of several months, demonstrates well that what appears to be an average American family is, like most, anything but average.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I occasionally felt that the main characters were a little too, shall we say, insufferably self-aware for a couple of youngsters. At times I couldn't decide who the intended audience was for this story, whether it was directed more toward young adults than the more mature variety. Either way, it was a relatively quick read, and had a few twists that kept it interesting.

Book 1

Book #1: “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides. Multi-generational tale of a Greek family emigrating to the U.S. in the 1920's, settling in Detroit. The narrator and protagonist of the story is Cal Stephanides, born Calliope, 3rd generation; born a girl in 1960, this is the story of how a "wayward gene" makes its way through the family to her, with some seriously complex results. Eugenides, who also wrote “The Virgin Suicides,” draws a vivid picture of life for an immigrant family in twentieth century America, specifically in the Detroit area (his hometown). An enjoyable read: great characters, historical context, and a medical mystery of sorts.

Book #2 in the Big Book Read 2010

Book 2: "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova. If you are fifty years old, or close to it, this book will FREAK YOU OUT! Have you ever walked into the next room only to ask yourself, "Why did I come in here?" Or headed out to the car, only to think, "Wait. Where am I going?" Ah, the tricks of memory...
"Still Alice" is the story of 50 year old Alice Howland, a brilliant and accomplished professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard -- who develops early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Genova, in her first novel, draws on her background as a neuroscientist to paint a vivid and disturbing portrait as the first signs of this terrible disease appear in Alice's life; we watch as Alice comes to realize quickly that something is very wrong, seeks help, and is hit with that unexpected diagnosis. This story is her journey into a pretty dark place, from which there is no return; it is also the story of the impact on family, friends, and colleagues. Well written and informative. 'Nuff said. Wait. What was I talking about????.......